Everyday Activities that Harm Your Hearing
We often take for granted all of the listening our ears have to do. We subject our ears to loud concerts, movies, loud machinery, and sporting events regularly, and, more often than not, without proper hearing protection. Rarely do we even think of driving as a potential risk to our hearing, but a daily commute through rush hour traffic can quickly put a strain on your hearing health.
According to research, millions of British people are putting their hearing at risk daily. In a December 2017 article from the UK’s The Sun, “Four in ten UK adults unknowingly endanger their hearing on a daily basis, and one-third don’t take ANY precautions to protect it when exposed to loud volumes.”
Prolonged exposure to loud sounds can lead to hearing loss or other irreversible damage to the hearing organs. The research also showed that 19 percent have some degree of hearing loss and 21 percent suffer from tinnitus—a ringing, buzzing or roaring sound in the ears.
Oticon, a hearing aid manufacturer, led a study of 2,000 UK adults and found that almost three quarters of them had never had their hearing checked by a hearing healthcare professional.
From Thomas Behrens, Head of Audiology at Oticon:
Noisy environments can be a real struggle for anyone with hearing difficulties. Consequently, avoiding social situations is a very common outcome of hearing loss. Hearing loss does not only affect the ability to hear sound, it also puts a strain on the brain as it tries to interpret meaning in words, organize sounds, orient sound direction and refocus, especially in noisy environments such as restaurants. This can leave people feeling very isolated and alone, and can potentially lead to serious health effects including stress and depression.
The research also showed that almost half of UK adults jeopardize their hearing regularly by listening to music at high volumes (with 28 percent admitting to this daily practice), one in five could be adversely affecting their hearing by not wearing hearing protection while working in loud environments, and just over half ‘occasionally’ find they cannot hear what others are saying to them—while 41 percent often ask people to repeat themselves in conversation.
Side Effects of Hearing Loss
Common side effects of untreated hearing loss are withdrawal from social situations, stress, and mental fatigue. It has also been linked to depression, isolation, and even dementia and Alzheimer’s.
When your brain has to work harder to process sound, you can become fatigued more easily throughout the course of a normal day. You could also be more at risk for migraines and other health conditions. Untreated hearing loss can affect your job performance and earning potential, making it difficult to function and succeed at work. It can negatively impact your self-esteem and confidence, impairing your ability to communicate effectively with friends and family. And, though hearing loss itself is not a direct cause, balance disorders can develop because the inner ear is responsible for the hearing and vestibular systems.
Social isolation is also a major concern for people living with disabling hearing loss. As it becomes more difficult to communicate effectively, people with hearing loss tend to withdraw from social gatherings. They may excuse themselves from family gatherings because it is too hard to keep up with multiple voices speaking at once. They may pass on group outings with friends because of loud or excessive environmental noise. These are all tell-tale behaviors of someone isolating themselves instead of caring for their hearing health.
Steps Toward Better Hearing
If you have followed any of these patterns, you must take the health of your hearing seriously and consult your doctor. A proper hearing loss treatment plan and the use of hearing aids can help you hear clearly and reconnect with loved ones. Some hearing aids, like the Starkey Livio, “learn” your preferred settings for different environments and automatically adjust to provide an optimal listening experience.
Perhaps someone close to you has already reached out with an offer of help. It is not always easy to ask for, or even accept, help, but having someone you trust by your side to support you through your better hearing journey can be empowering. They can accompany you to appointments, help remember information, encourage you to ask questions, and even be one of the first voices you hear clearly when being fitted for a hearing aid. You owe it to your overall health—and to your loved ones—to find a hearing healthcare professional today.
